Pastoral Care That Supports A Caregiver.
The family caregiver is a pivotal part of a patient’s care team. When the patient is nearing their end of life, the support, guidance and compassion they receive from professionals and loved ones brings a sense of ease and comfort.
‘A family caregiver is broadly defined as a friend or relative who provides unpaid assistance for a person with a chronic or disabling condition’ (Swartz and Collins 2019).
There are many factors a caregiver has to consider when caring for a loved one. One services which they can seek support from is a spiritual pastoral carer. A spiritual pastoral carer will have access to materials that can help the caregiver navigate the complexity of the role they assume while bringing a sense of ease to all involved in the care process.
When seeking pastoral care, caregivers can relish in the guidance obtainable through discussions had with another. They gain clarity towards the situation they find themselves in, they can work through decision making processes, apply time-management strategies and benefit from having a neutral ‘sounding board’ who will simply listen. A pastoral carer, who is removed from the family environment, allows for an open dialogue to occur. A space where the caregiver can openly and honestly express their fears. They can talk about topics which bring unease and they can ask important life questions which often evolve during significant life experiences. Ensuring rapport is built quickly between the pastoral carer and caregiver, while providing a safe and supportive environment, allows the conversation to flow and support to be received.
The family caregiver is a pivotal part of a patient’s care team. Statistics from America state ‘eighty percent of adults requiring long term care currently live at home in the community, and unpaid family caregivers provide 90% of their care’ (Swartz and Collins 2019). The caregivers are often the one who oversees all aspects of the medical process. Often without a medical background, the caregiver has to quickly learn language, skills and knowledge required to support their loved one while taking on the myriad of perspectives shared by many experts. Sharing some of this burden with a pastoral spiritual carer allows caregivers to gain perspective which can support further investigations into the processes they are supporting.
Having been in the role of a family caregiver, I have firsthand experience of the complexity felt in a role that can be both challenging and rewarding. Seeking support and guidance from a pastoral spiritual carer offers another dimension in understanding the situation carers find themselves in.
Resources:
Swartz, Kristine, and Lauren Collins. 2019. "Caregiver Care." American Family Physician. Accessed October 06, 2021. www.aafp.org/afp.
Bron’s focus on end of life guidance has offered guidance to children and adults who support a loved one nearing their end of life. She is a kinesiologist, spiritual and pastoral carer with training in grief and bereavement counselling.